Category Archives: health

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Aronia Berry Health Benefits

In this unique time of COVID-19, we’re finding more folks must be researching food as medicine. We’re seeing more interest recently from folks looking for Aronia Berries in the stores we serve in the Des Moines area and calling to discuss Aronia. It’s exciting, folks are finally taking the time to research healthy diet choices. Sad because of the terrible threat we all face. We know Aronia Melanocarpa has multiple health benefits. Some have categorized Aronia Berries as a superfruit. We believe completely in the health benefits and consume berries daily.

BOOSTS HEALTH

The Aronia berry is one of the most antioxidant-rich superfoods in the world. Packed with polyphenols, calcium, iron, and vitamins A, B2, B6, B9, C, E, and more. Aronia may help manage chronic conditions and prevent illness.

Woody is nearly 84, you wouldn’t know it and he fools many. One of his doctors recently asked him how he was in such good shape for his age. To be fair, it was a pain doctor, as he struggles terribly with osteoarthritis after several injuries and accidents. She wanted some berries though. She’d seen his blood work and his ability to cope with the severe arthritis. She is just one medical professional we’ve seen consuming berries. Recently a midwife encouraged one of her patients to seek out Aronia. We know an OB/GYN in the area who believes in the power of Aronia for her family.

History of Aronia Melanocarpa Berry

Native to the midwest, the fruits of Aronia melanocarpa have been traditionally used by Potawatomi Native Americans to cure colds. In the first half of the 20th century, cultivars of black chokeberry were introduced to the Soviet Union and other European countries, providing fruits used by food industry.

At present, it is used mainly for juice, jam, smoothies, powdered supplements and wine production. Aronia is great in baked goods, soups, granolas and smoothies. The deep black-purple coloring of Aronia indicates its high antioxidant content. Higher than most other common berries.

Among other substances, the berries of Aronia melanocarpa contain anthocyanins and procyanidins, possessing strong antioxidative potential. Numerous health-promoting activities-namely, antioxidative, antimutagenic, anticancer, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, gastroprotective, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, radioprotective, and immunomodulatory-have been demonstrated for black chokeberry extracts by both in vitro and in in vivo studies. Read more about the Pub Med study here.

Aronia is a fairly common ornamental plant; it has nice shiny leaves and fragrant flowers, and requires little upkeep. We see them here at malls, office complexes and grocery stores. In the US, though, it’s not been commonly eaten because like the cranberry, it’s highly acidic and astringent when raw. In a US diet full of sugar and processed foods, the Aronia flavor is not often enjoyed straight off the bush or out of the freezer. We enjoy the berries this way, but it is an acquired taste or one appreciated by those who avoid most sugar.

Can You Grow Aronia For Your Family?

Definitely, we believe it is a beautiful plant to add to your landscape if you live in an area which gets enough winter. A true double-duty plant, beautiful and yet producing high-quality fruit for your family. It doesn’t have to be relegated to the backyard.

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How Do You Use Aronia Berries?

What do you do with Aronia berries? That’s a common question we get when talking about our powerful anti-oxidant berries. So today we’ll talk a little bit about how to use Aronia berries.

Do you just eat Aronia Berries?

Most folks don’t like to just eat Aronia berries alone. Which as a grower, is one of the stumbling blocks. The berries alone have a dry, astringent flavor. We sometimes tell folks they’re similar to a green apple, very tart, not very sweet, but worth it.

Many people believe they are like blueberries and just try to eat them out of the fresh package or right off the bush. If you don’t include a lot of sugar in your diet, you’ll love them this way. Right off the bush is one of my favorite ways to eat them, but I have health issues and don’t use much sugar at all. Children love them before their tastebuds are accustomed to sugar.

Mads eats them right off the bush.

When we harvest Aronia berries really effects the flavor of the berries. Berries begin to turn purple and appear to be “ripe” sometimes in July. BUT, they are nasty tasting then. It’s a sin to those of us growing high quality berries and dedicated to the future of the industry to see the berries available too soon. Folks taste one of those berries and never want to try them again.

Aronia berries are at their peak when the brix level of the berries register on a refractometer between 18-23. The higher the brix (a measurement of sugar content) the sweeter the berries. In central Iowa, we achieve optimum brix content in very late August or September, dependent upon the weather conditions.

If you have your own berries and no refractometer, we also look for the fully filled out dimples in the bottom of the berries. Sounds strange I know but when they are ready, the bottom fills out and isn’t just round.

Another way to check your own berries is to cut one open to visually look at the color. A fully ripe berry is all one color magenta inside, not dark around the little seeds and lighter pulp, fully magenta.

We use them all kinds of ways…

On our recipe page you will find some of our favorite ways to use Aronia. Right now in our house for example, we have the chocolate chip Aronia cookies. I also made treats for some friends and the girls using red raspberries, stuffing them with an Aronia berry and drizzling them with chocolate. Chocolate and Aronia is a great combination. The Strawberry-Aronia jam is a morning staple for bagels and toast. We have also juiced some and add an ounce or so to orange juice daily. (Pineapple juice is also fabulous) I added a handful of frozen berries to oatmeal this morning. They are great in pancakes!

    This weekend I have a pork roast I plan to cook with Grandma’s Special Aronia Cayenne Sauce, a blend of Aronia, jalepenos, and peppers. It’ awesome! We always seem to have a partial block of cream cheese with the Special Sauce on it for Woody’s snacking.

    Where can I get Aronia Berries?

    You can always comment and we’ll fix you up if you’re not in Central Iowa. Locally, you can get them at Fairways in Carlisle, Indianola, Norwalk and Fleur Drive. Gateway Market has our frozen berries as well. If your store doesn’t carry them, ask them to contact us, we’d be happy to supply:)

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    Aronia Berry vs. Elderberry

    Photo:  Aroniaberry (left) Elderberry (right)

    Information shared by our friends at SuperBerries

    Perhaps the closest berry in comparison to the Aronia Berry is the elderberry. With cold and flu season upon us, the hunt is on for holistic remedies to boost the immune system or shorten the duration and the severity of the illness. Both the Aronia Berry and the Elderberry do provide some supplemental benefits to a well balanced diet and help maintain a state of health and wellness. However, there are differences between the two berries and the better option overall appears to be the Aronia Berry for its higher antioxidant benefits.

    Though the elderberry is the closest to the Aronia Berry in flavonoids and polyphenols, the antioxidant fighting compounds of the elderberry still don’t quite measure up to Aronia on the USDA Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity or ORAC Scale. 100 grams of the Elderberry scaled in at 14,697 on the ORAC value scale, while 100 grams of the Aronia Berry scaled in at a whopping 16,062 on the ORAC value scale.

    Both the Aronia Berry and the elderberry provide excellent sources of fiber, Vitamin A and Vitamin C. However, the Aronia Berry tops the elderberry as a great source of potassium, iron, zinc and magnesium as well. The Aronia Berry offers a better make up of vitamins and minerals the body needs to maintain optimum health and wellness.

    The history of both berries is similar in that, the elderberry was a staple in Native American medicine. It was used to encourage labor, cure headaches, cure fever, and as a diuretic. The Aronia Berry was used by Native American tribes as a supplement in their diet as well as an herbal remedy for colic, scrapes, boosting the immune system and as a treatment for a variety of other health related ailments.

    Like the Aronia Berry, the elderberry is grown primarily in North America and Europe. The state of Missouri produces the largest crop of elderberries in the world, while Iowa is the largest producer of Aronia Berries in the United States, and Poland the largest overall producer of Aronia Berries in the world.

    The branches, leaves, and twigs of the elderberry contain trace elements of cyanide making them unfit for human consumption. The branches, leaves and twigs of the Aronia Berry, on the other hand, are edible and have been used in teas and even in some concentrates for their rich antioxidant benefits.

    Side effects of the elderberry can occur with immunosuppressant drugs and autoimmune diseases such as Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis or Multiple Sclerosis. Elderberry can cause the immune system to become more active thereby increasing the symptoms of autoimmune diseases. Elderberries are known to act as diuretics and not recommended for people with kidney issues. Elderberries are also not recommended for pregnant or nursing mothers and can exacerbate reactions in people allergic to honeysuckle. In preliminary studies being done at this time, there have been no known side effects from taking the Aronia Berry.

    With the coming cold and flu season and the push for more holistic home remedies to give a boost to the immune system, both the Aronia Berry and the elderberry may offer some form of supplemental assistance. However, given the comparison of the two, my money is still on the Aronia Berry for the a higher boost in antioxidant elements, and while the two berries have their similarities, there’s still no denying the health and wellness benefits inherent in the “power of purple”.

    The “Power of Purple” has been evident in our household. While one of us got the flu, the other who is more faithful with his consumption did not. Coincidence? I think not.

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    What Is an Aronia Berry?

    We still get asked this question all the time. After 10 years of growing certified organic Aronia berries, let me help you understand what an Aronia Berry is.

    Aronia Melanocarpa is a berry known to have been grown by the Native Americans who used it for medicinal purposes. We are just now catching up with what they already knew and practiced. Aronia berries are very good for us and have often been alluded to as the local super fruit.

    In particular, we grow Aronia Melanocarpa Viking plants. They are known for good quality fruit production. However, there are many other varieties in the Rosaceae family.

    Recently we have seen Aronia cultivars being grown near commercial establishments as landscape plantings. Their generous flower clusters in spring, deep purple berries in summer/fall, and their orange/burgundy leaves in the fall make them an attractive planting for landscaping. Different varieties are available in a more compact bush. The Aronia berry bushes we have at our farm are very hardy and have grown to about 6-8′ tall.

    Aronia berries, or chokeberries, as commonly known in the past, are rich in fiber, vitamin C, and powerful antioxidants that may have heart-healthy, immune-boosting, and anticancer properties. They are not choke cherries as some mistakenly believe.

    We have pruned our first field of Aronia which was planted in 2009. We were amazed at how quickly they grew from their cut back to 8″ in March of 2018 to a full crop of berries in 2019. Although we knew from critter damage and mower accidents, they are extremely resilient.

    Why Grow Aronia?

    We planted the Aronia berries for their health benefits as well as practical reasons. They are easy to grow, fairly pest resistant, can be grown organically, and do not require frequent pruning. We had 40 acres and were looking for a way to make a portion of this an income producing property. The topography of our property does not lend itself to regular row crop plantings. We have smaller fields with hills.

    With my health concerns, we knew whatever we planted had to be something that could be grown and maintained organically. Aronia as a nutritional super food we felt would be best grown organically. There are many other Aronia farms using conventional farming methods to control weeds and insects. However, we did not want to use those type of products at our home.

    How to Grow Aronia

    We purchased our plants from another grower. However, you can find them at a lot easier now. Many of the home improvement stores carry Aronia in the spring. They are also available through many of the seed and nursery catalogs these days.

    You can purchase them any size, in containers or bare root. Because we did mass plantings over several years, we planted both bare root stock and seedlings which came in flats. Plant/cuttings were between 4-12″ when we planted them.

    It is important when the plantings are small you adequately keep the weed pressure down. Whether you mulch, put down landscape fabric, have space to mow between the plants, or plan to manually weed them, some planning is required prior to planting.

    The plants thrive in full sun with adequate drainage. If you are planting Aronia for your household’s use, I would encourage you to plant at least three bushes. In time you will have enough berries to use daily. The bushes are self-pollinating so you really don’t have to plant more than one. But you may want a bigger supply of berries.

    When planting small plants, it takes about three years to get your first berries. You may get a a few to tease you your second year, but by the third year your production will begin to take off.

    They grow quickly and send up shoots from the main seedling so that after a few years you have a large bush with far more than one stalk. Ours were planted 4′ apart originally in the row and now they appear like a hedge row they have filled out so.

    We planted them in rows 10′ apart. At the time that seemed adequate; however, knowing what we now know, it is not if you intend to have commercial harvesting equipment in your fields. When our berries are fully loaded with berries, you can’t hardly get a 5′ mower between the rows. Twelve to fifteen feet between rows would be a better idea if you are entertaining the idea of a commercial planting.

    How Do You Use The Aronia Berries?

    We have used them in so many ways it’s crazy when I tell people. I get strange looks. We use them in:

    • Smoothies
    • Salads
    • Soups
    • Cookies of all types
    • Fudge
    • Granola
    • Juice
    • Frozen cubes for Drinks
    • Syrup
    • Cayenne Pepper Sauce for Meats
    • Salad Dressing
    • Oatmeal
    • Yogurt
    • Ice Cream
    • Jam/Jellies
    • Brownies
    • Bars
    • Pies
    • Gallette
    • Meatloaf/Meatballs
    • Chili
    • Fresh Fruit Salad
    • Fruit Kabobs
    • Stir Fry

    How Many Do You Need Daily?

    From the research we’ve been seeing, a handful of 14-18 berries per day is enough to benefit. That’s why it’s so easy to throw a handful in things and get the benefits.

    What Type of Health Benefits?

    Here’s where it gets tricky. Because we’re not physicians and researchers, we prefer you look at those sites to get the facts. You will be amazed! We suggest authority sites like: Pub Med. You will also find interesting articles on Medical News Today

    You will find in your research studies on heart health, glucose management, immune boosting, lipid regulation, cancer prevention and treatment, and athletic performance.

    We know the benefits are real. We have sold berries to so many people who have talked about just feeling better, cholesterol and diabetes management and inflammation reduction. One doctor recently asked my husband, who is 83 and you’d not know it, how he stayed healthy and younger than his peers. He took her a bag of berries. We have other physicians who are customers and use them for their families.

    Future of Aronia

    We like to think we have been ahead of our time. More and more Aronia information is becoming available. Product creation is a daunting process with government regulation, yet the Aronia products are beginning to hit the market.

    We had to get a licensed space prepared and have inspections to be able to repackage our berries from 25 lb. boxes to one pound packages for retail sale. We have been working with a company to produce the Strawberry Aronia fruit spread. The red tape and safety precautions in place are time consuming. However, products are coming to the market.

    Another factor in producing a product is shipping. Frozen products and glass jars require more care in shipping and are more expensive to get to customers. Several powdered forms of the fruit has become available. Often the fruit is freeze dried and crushed to produce a powder that can be used in drinks, smoothies, etc. Shipping problems are minimized. However, be sure to get the whole berry for maximum health benefits. Ask questions about the process.

    In addition to our frozen berries, one of our favorite products is produced by friends and true scientists at Boone County Organics. We also have used and highly recommend A2 Immune.

    We believe the more folks who learn about the health benefits of Aronia, the more the markets will grow. There has been a remarkable increase in the number of berries available to the public and to manufacturers recently. Again, due to the time it takes for plants to mature and the willingness of folks to devote acreage to Aronia knowing it is not a quick return on their investment. Couple these challenges with the lack of mass promotion, we are on the forefront of a health revolution!

    food, health, health & fitness, wellness, organic, food as medicine,, organic

    The Verdict Is In

    You know sometimes when folks tell you something is good for you, you think, yeah right? It’s just hype to sell more. I know think that until I look into it myself or know someone it’s really helped.

    The study here discusses the benefits of our little purple powerhouse berries in the fight to lower cholesterol. The study was done with rats. However, we have a friend at church who swears by Aronia Berries. She was struggling with high cholesterol and hesitated to use lipid lowering medications because of side effects. She tried Aronia, just a small handful daily. Her only diet change was adding berries daily to her cereal, oatmeal, or yogurt. Her cholesterol was 30 points lower at her re-check!

    Side effects? None. Plus she had the benefit from the anti-fungal, anti-viral antioxidant properties of Aronia. Good enough reason to try? You bet.

    Remember, you can find them at Fareway in Carlisle, Indianola, Norwalk and Fleur Drive in Des Moines. In addition, Gateway Market and the Price Choppers in Des Moines also handle Aronia. You can always contact us directly if you need them shipped to you.

    Fogle’s Organic Aronia Berries in the Freezer Section
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    Strawberry aronia goodness

    The cooler weather is settling upon us in central Iowa, snow is even predicted. So what to do on a cool Sunday afternoon, cook! I wish you could smell our house today. The simmering strawberries and aronia berries release a fresh, sweet, comforting fragrance that makes your mouth water. I’m creating Strawberry/Aronia Fruit Spread. I will have it available at the Holiday Showcase in Carlisle next Saturday. I always have some on hand to share with friends and it makes a great gift. Pure goodness in a half pint for $5.

    Leave a comment if you’d like to purchase yours.

    food, health, health & fitness, wellness, organic, food as medicine,, organic, Uncategorized

    Harvest Time

    https://www.facebook.com/Fogle40Aronia/

    Harvest Time

    As we walked the fields this summer cutting out volunteer trees and pulling weeds, I think of a conversation I had with a very, very intelligent gentleman. The jest of it was I was tired of pulling weeds, messing with poison ivy, battling bugs, and cutting the same trees out year after year in the heat and humidity that is summer in Iowa. He explained about the products he’s developed that seem to help folks with inflammation, digestive diseases, poor immune functions. Real people with real stories who have been helped by the organic Aronia berries. Some of the stories were amazing. He ended it with “If you think about the people these are really helping, you can pull a few more weeds.”

    So as we headed out to the fields to harvest we thought of that remark once again. We harvested, hoping to help a few more.

    If word really was out about the health potential of these, they would be flying off shelves everywhere. Yet, even this year there are growers who are again feeding healthy wildlife because the market hasn’t caught up with production. That’s so sad because we know the healthy benefits are real.

    At the end of the harvest, we ended up with a little over 6,000 lbs. We couldn’t have done it without the help of our friends and family.

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    BUSY, BUSY, BUSY

    I have been remiss in adding to the blog this spring. We’ve been so busy catching up with things we didn’t get done last year due to health reasons, I’m running way behind!

    The berries have lots of beautiful little berries. Even the bushes that we trimmed back too 8″ a year ago in March are loaded with berries and are about five foot tall. It’s amazing to us how resilient the Aronia berries are.

    In my spare time I’ve been making Aronia Cayenne Sauce and Strawberry Aronia Fruit Spread. Two of our favorite ways to share the Aronia goodness with others. I plan to take the Fruit Spread and Aronia Cayenne Sauce to the What Cheer Flea Market this weekend. Yet another attempt to educate folks on the wonderful benefits and flavors of Aronia!

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    Great News for Aronia!

    After struggling along the last few years trying to acquaint folks with the berries we produce on our farm, the fact that SPIN lists Aronia as a #2 trend couldn’t have come at a better time.

    Will it instantly translate into more folks trying Aronia berries? Probably not, but it may make folks pause and Google. Because honestly, too few have heard of the little dark purple berry that has become very important in our lives. We hope anyone who Googles Aronia Berries, or Aronia Melanocarpa, will learn what we’ve known for the past 10 years. Aronia does your body good!

    After SPINS recognition, folks who are interested in natural foods and health may research Aronia. We know the folks interested in bettering their health will seek items to use. Our hope is the attention garnered here will eventually translate into demand for more products containing Aronia.

    Trending is fabulous! Here in Central Iowa, there are a lot of organic Aronia plants just waiting to fulfill the need. We have about 5,000 bushes on our farm ready to produce healthy organic berries next Fall.

    Huge boost in visibility for aronia from SPINS this week, which named aronia #2 on their 2019 trends. SPINS is widely…

    Posted by Melanie Kahn on Saturday, January 19, 2019